retired_BrownVanilla

Came in here to say exactly that :thup:

retired_dego72

Came in here to say exactly that :thup: </BLOCKQUOTE>

It absolutely has- Ive seen enough glimpses (particularly pre-patch) to see that the match engine has the potential to be an absolute delight.

But what annoys me is that the game was quite obviously released too early, and the way SI seems unprepared to accept any of the quite justified criticism levelled at SI because of this.

I think many are frustrated not because of issues but because essentially 8.01 shouldve been the quality we got out of the box.

I thought SI moved from Eidos because of the same issue with CM4- yet a call was quite clearly made to release FM08 with a pretty major bug in the match engine, and without a release day patch being guaranteed.

Im sure most would prefer the release being delayed, rather than wait for 3 mths after release for a patch that we can only hope makes FM08 the best yet.

retired_jorgenmb

It's nice to see a thread were everybody agrees for a change You make a good point about the SI/Eidos seperation, but unfortunately I don't think any company is better than the other when it comes to making money. Shareholders and investors wants their cut, and by delaying a game for 3 months, you're kind of cutting out 25% of the annual profit by releasing a game every year. You won't see FIFA 2009,5 either, and that's a bit of the problem. Pressure is high but the time schedule is tight, and the outcome is what we see. Like you say they should also be a bit more prepared to accept the critisism (although I still think they are better than many other publishers, who just don't give a damn), and when a thread like the main one about the s/g-ratio consists of about 16 pages, it doesn't hold up to almost deny that it's an issue.

But I agree with everyone here.. It has the potential, and there is nothing more I would like to see than it to succeed. Come on SI

circlewalker

I'm quite pleasently surprised that this hasn't degenerated into the usual drivel that passes on here as discussion.

I think the effort you put in to your first post is keeping the thread together.

retired_nodyaj1118

I agree completely. I too am extremely frustrated with this game.

My opinion is that the problem is this new approach they have to the game. In the past, as someone else said, they would come with a new version (match engine) every 3-4 years.

I think that back in 2005 they had an ambitious idea: to create a do all, upgrading match engine. So perhaps their thinking was: we will change this module and that module and all of the sudden the game will be different - all at the programmers' control. As a parenthesis, this same approach is currently the practice with the NBA live series, NHL series (and in general EA titles).

Unfortunately, now they reached a level of complexity so when they change something 15 other things change as well. The fact that the result is completely unpredictable is evident by the multitude of issues that appear after every new patch.

So I will wait until February or whatever it is when they said they will bring a new patch but I am very skeptical about it. I do not remember one time in the history of CM/FM when a patch that makes the game perfect would take this long (almost 4 months). CM4 was one buggy version and we waited two months for a patch but none of the patches would create bigger problems than they fixed.

retired_imac4pat

Came in here to say exactly that :thup: </BLOCKQUOTE>

It absolutely has- Ive seen enough glimpses (particularly pre-patch) to see that the match engine has the potential to be an absolute delight.

But what annoys me is that the game was quite obviously released too early, and the way SI seems unprepared to accept any of the quite justified criticism levelled at SI because of this.

I think many are frustrated not because of issues but because essentially 8.01 shouldve been the quality we got out of the box.

I thought SI moved from Eidos because of the same issue with CM4- yet a call was quite clearly made to release FM08 with a pretty major bug in the match engine, and without a release day patch being guaranteed.

Im sure most would prefer the release being delayed, rather than wait for 3 mths after release for a patch that we can only hope makes FM08 the best yet. </BLOCKQUOTE>

All great points. It's just as fun to watch some people defend the game to the point of hilarity as well as people who don't have a clue and needlessly complain about being 'cheated' just the same.

The game looks great, it just needs a couple tiny tweaks to be as good as it promises.

retired_GoBlue31

Excellent post, well done on posting a well thought out and literate dicussion

I am very worried about the future though. A Si response to one of my posts in another thread stated they did indeed believe this was the best version yet.

If they HONESTLY believe this then there is no way FM will never improve. Of course it is more likely to be PR spin. I hope there have been meetings in Si towers about how much of a shambles FM08 has been and what they are going to do about FM09. If there hasn't I then I am even more worried. I really don't know what to think... do they really think this is the best version yet ?

I think maybe the code has become so complex that adding even a small feature just throws everything out of whack. A year goes by and we get about 3 new features and the entire game breaks. I don't envy them but the product just isn't up to standard anymore.

tjawed

I think the whole patching to fix the game is more of a general , consistant problem. Rather than simply being isolated to this game.

The problem I have , is that 7.0.2 , was a very good game. You'd have got alot of takers for a database/graphics update slapped on top of that. The problem is that SI seem to make the game worse (In terms of features that are continued) that the previous games last patch. Which makes you think of the one step forward and two steps back kind of idea.

I'm not saying that 7.0.2 was perfect , just that, outside of the newer features for the new game + the database update , its a far superior game as things currently stand.

retired_nodyaj1118

I was thinking about this too. If they updated the database and added the feature with the faces of generated players to the 2007 version I would still play that.

retired_Kam_macca

Well said. The last FM I played was FM05, I skipped 06 and 07, but 08 isn't a great deal different which makes it disappointing. I do like the new skin but a new skin does not make a new game.

I'm largely frustrated that no further innovation has been made to tactics, the way they are presented and match day. As I've mentioned in other posts, it's such a core part of the game but it's stagnating. Sure the match engine has been tweaked but the presentation hasn't changed since CM4, which makes me wonder where SI are spending their development time.

Any other type of game and it would've been completely revamped by now, but 6 versions on and we still get the same thing each release. It's depressing.